George Oakshott

By editor

Created 09/22/2011 - 10:58am

George Robert Oakshott, DVM., a longtime resident of Colville, passed away on Sept.13, 2011 in Colville at the age of 82. George was born on Oct. 26, 1928 in Rosalia, the son of George Haywood and Olive Loreen (Harper) Oakshott.
As a boy, George moved with his family from Rosalia to Newport. After one year in Newport, they relocated to Colville. While in Colville, George attended school and graduated in 1946 as the Class President of Colville High School. He then farmed with his father and distributed fuel for the Standard Oil Company.
Shortly thereafter, George entered the U.S. Air Force and served for four years, which included service overseas during the Korean Conflict. He was honorably discharged and began college at Washington State University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology. George continued his education at the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, during which time he married Arch Elee Selde on Sept. 11, 1960.
In August 1963, he and Arch Elee moved to Lewiston, Idaho, where he began a 27-year career as a Federal Field Veterinarian for the US Department of Agriculture. His position primarily involved disease control and prevention.
In 1990, George retired from the USDA and moved to Colville, where he assumed the operation of the family farm. In 1994, the Northern Idaho Veterinary Medical Association (NIVMA) established the George Oakshott Award to recognize outstanding service to the veterinary profession in North Idaho and to honor George, the award’s first recipient. Each year the award is given to a practitioner who, through his/her personality and competence as a veterinarian, reflects credit on the profession.
George loved his family and was a wonderful father. With his thoughtful and patient manner, he taught Christine and Rya everything from driving to fiscal responsibility. He impressed upon his girls the importance of being self-assured, independent, and healthy. They spent many summer days together as a family at the Little Pend Oreille Lakes.
George liked to fly recreationally. He also enjoyed being outdoors and often swam and biked in his free time. In his later years, he took up social dancing. George loved conversation. He would often discuss articles about nutrition, politics, finance, and agriculture and express his admiration for innovative and industrious people. He will be remembered as a conscientious and kind man who nurtured his relationships with friends, family, animals, and the earth.
George is survived by his wife, Arch Elee Selde Oakshott; daughters, Rya Oakshott, Ephrata; Christine Oakshott, Seattle; sisters, Claudia Koontz-Goering and husband, John Goering andVirginia Oakshott, all of Colville.
A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Northeast Washington Fairgrounds Ag. Trade Center (Colville).
Memorial contributions may be given either to the Colville Library, 195 South Oak Street, Colville, WA 99114, or to N.E. Washington Home Health Services, P.O. Box 808, Chewelah, WA 99109.
Please visit the on-line memorial and sign the guestbook at www.danekasfuneralchapel.com[1].
Danekas Funeral Chapel and Crematory is entrusted with the arrangements.